Salem Police arrested a 46-year-old man after detectives say they caught him trying to sell methamphetamine at Riverfront Park, finding nearly 60 grams of the drug, a loaded handgun and $233 in cash stuffed in his bag. Engels A. Marcelino briefly ran from officers before he was caught following a short foot pursuit, according to police.
The arrest capped an investigation by the Salem Police Strategic Investigations Unit into reported methamphetamine sales in downtown Salem, according to a Salem Police Department media release. Detectives said they believed Marcelino intended to sell ounces of methamphetamine at Riverfront Park when they moved to stop him. As reported by KATU, he tried to flee but was caught after a short chase.
Inside Marcelino's bag, detectives said they located 59.7 grams of methamphetamine, which they estimated to be roughly 300 individual user doses. The same search turned up a loaded handgun and $233 in cash, the station's report states.
Police Cite a History of Sales to Unsheltered Residents
Detectives told the station they had also learned of Marcelino's previous methamphetamine sales to the homeless community both downtown and at Wallace Marine Park. That background, as police described it, pointed to an established pattern of dealing in areas where unsheltered residents gather, rather than a single isolated incident at Riverfront Park.
Marcelino was booked into the Marion County Jail on multiple charges, including felon in possession of a firearm, unlawful delivery of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of methamphetamine, per the same account. Police said the investigation remains ongoing, and further questions about the criminal prosecution should go to the Marion County District Attorney's Office. The Salem Police Department's release identified the case as SMP26085772.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Local Seizures
Marcelino's arrest follows other recent methamphetamine busts around Salem. In April, Strategic Investigations Unit detectives arrested 39-year-old Luis Montes-Jimenez of Gresham following a separate narcotics investigation that took 27 pounds of methamphetamine off the streets, according to the City of Salem. In July, officers arrested 43-year-old Joshua Walker of Salem after a traffic stop uncovered 100 grams of methamphetamine, the city also reported.
Statewide, preliminary figures suggest overdose deaths in Oregon have been trending downward, with provisional data showing around 1,100 deaths in 2025, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Whether that broader trend connects to enforcement actions like the one at Riverfront Park has not been established, but local police have continued to tout large-scale seizures as part of their strategy against the drug supply downtown.
